Fifty shades of green and silver, scarlet and gold
by Kou Shuurei-sama
Summary: Draco embraces his dark side as a task from Voldemort gives him (more) reason to take teasing to a different level when it comes to his favorite mudblood. Will Hermione break or will she resist? In the end, will she even want to resist Draco? Set at the beginning of HBP, this is a dark adult-themed story with an intense and at times disturbing mood, you've been warned!
1. I think I'm drowning, asphyxiating

**A/N:** This story is a bit different from what I've written before. I usually don't write very dark stuff, because I tend to be "light" in nature, but I, too, have my dark moments, and I figured I'd transform them into fiction. So this story is about a rather abusive Draco Malfoy that has set his mind to have Hermione Granger - and have her he will, whether she wants it or not.

The story starts at the beginning of the Half Blood Prince, so expect things to deviate from canon from that point on – basically I'll still follow JK's storyline for HBP, but with considerable modifications of my own. I wanted to write a story where characters such as Dumbledore and Fred are still alive, because all of my other Harry Potter stories (with just one exception) take place after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Rated M for adult content later on in the story - sexual content with darker themes like bondage as well as 'mild-ish' psychological/physical abuse/violence. And although the story is not excessively dark or traumatic, consider yourselves forewarned, it is not for the faint-hearted either! If this isn't your cup of tea, don't read this story!

Oh, also, I created the mood of the story around one of my favourite angsty song, 'Time is Running Out' (Muse), because I think it really fits my story perfectly, so for those of you who know it, you'll notice the chapters are named after the song lyrics. If you want, you can listen to it on repeat while reading, I did the same while writing.

Each chapter is written either from Hermione or Draco's p.o.v. – usually I alternate between the two in each chapter, but this time I preferred dedicating an entire chapter to each of the two perspectives.

That being said, hope you enjoy the story and if you do, don't hesitate to review!

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**Fifty shades of green and silver, scarlet and gold**

**Chapter 1 - I think I'm drowning, asphyxiated **

**(Hermione p.o.v.)**

Ever since the word was out that Voldemort was back, things had changed drastically in the wizarding world – and Diagon Alley was no exception. It was no longer the lively place Hermione remembered, but a dreary copy of it, with shops that displayed boarded windows and large Ministry of Magic posters that gave security advice or presented moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters on the loose. Hermione was sad that shop owners like Ollivander and Florean Fortescue were missing – in fact, it wasn't just that their whereabouts were unknown, but it wasn't even certain whether they were still alive or not, and even if they were alive, they were presumably prisoners of the Death Eaters.

But that was the new world they had to live in and feeling sad about it wasn't going to help things. Hermione was determined to make the best of each day, and the fact that she was finally out of the Burrow (where she had spent quite some time that summer) and away from Fleur Delacour, was something worth celebrating.

She needed new robes and fortunately Mrs. Weasley agreed to let her, Harry and Ron go to Madam Malkin's with only Hagrid for protection. As they entered the shop, Hermione heard an all too familiar voice.

"… not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."

Malfoy! And apparently his mother was there with him, which was pretty bad. Lucius Malfoy was locked up in Azkaban after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, so now more than ever there was animosity between the Malfoys and them.

Hermione saw Malfoy stride over to the mirror to examine himself in his new dark green robes and she knew it was only a matter of time before he saw them. And indeed, it only took him a few more moments before he noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes narrowed.

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," he said and Hermione felt her temper rising. However, Harry and Ron both had their wands out so she knew she had to be the mature one if she wanted to avoid another clash. Besides, she didn't want Malfoy to know how much his insults were affecting her.

"No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it", she whispered.

"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy. "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."

Hermione was seething on the inside but before she could let her temper run wild, Madam Malkin intervened, not that Narcissa Malfoy would have any of it. Harry stood up to her, which was good, but he was perhaps a bit too keen on a fight.

Draco Malfoy was keen as well but luckily the confrontation ended without any incidents, with the two Malfoys leaving Madam Malkin's shop to take their business elsewhere.

_Good riddance_, Hermione thought as she tried to get over the Malfoys' insults. She should have been immune to them by now, but it still hurt to be called such names simply because her parents had no magical blood.

Fred and George's shop helped take her mind off things, because it presented an assortment of magical goods, one more eccentric than the other. She had a hard time focusing on any one item, there were so many of them, so colourful, and there were so many people inside, browsing.

She managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and she started reading the information on one of the Patented Daydream Charms boxes, which sounded very interesting to say the least.

Although unknown to anyone other than herself and Ginny, Hermione was a romantic, so she was attracted by the description of the product that promised a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, virtually undetectable, which was a plus when you shared a common room and a dormitory with other people. Well, she could always draw the curtains of her four poster bed, but that would only raise suspicion regarding what she was up to.

"You know, that really is extraordinary magic!" she told Ginny, but it was one of her brothers who gave her a reply.

"For that, Hermione, you can have one for free", Fred offered generously.

Hermione smiled at him while carefully putting the box in her bag – she'd have to give it a try soon.

"What's happened to your eye, Hermione?"

"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully. Earlier she made the mistake of fiddling with one of the twins' untested products which had punched her in the eye, and none of Mrs. Weasley's remedies had worked to remove her panda look.

"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," said Fred. "Here —" he said, pulling a tub out of his pocket and handing it to her.

After being reassured that it was safe to use, Hermione dabbed her black eye with the paste and then she and Ginny pored over the Patented Daydream Charms. Hermione had no idea how much time had passed before Fred was back and enthusiastic about promoting his merchandise.

Ginny was interested in getting a Pygmy Puff but Hermione was distracted by the fact that out the window she could see Draco Malfoy hurrying up the street - alone.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" Harry said, frowning. He and Ron had seen Malfoy as well.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," Ron figured.

"Why, though?" Hermione asked, puzzled. It was interesting that he had ditched his mother, it probably meant that he was up to something.

Harry was thinking the same thing, because he pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of the bag and, although hesitant, Hermione joined him and Ron underneath it and they silently slipped out of the shop.

By the time they got out onto the street Malfoy had disappeared but eventually they saw him – entering Knockturn Alley, not that it was any surprise.

They ventured in after him, surprised that the street was just as deserted as Diagon Alley. Hermione would have thought that what with the Dark Lord being back, there would be a frenzy of activity in these shops, which were mostly dedicated to the Dark Arts.

Malfoy entered Borgin and Burkes, a shop which sold a wide variety of sinister objects, and he was talking to the proprietor of shop.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" Hermione said wistfully.

"We can!" said Ron excitedly. Hermione was thrilled to see he had a pair of Extendable Ears with him.

Unfortunately the conversation didn't prove to be very enlightening, all they could ascertain was that Draco wanted something from the shop, and that he didn't want anyone to find out about it.

And in that case, it was best to find out if they could, so Hermione came up with an idea.

"You two stay here," she whispered to them then boldly entered the shop.

She tried to be subtle about finding out what Malfoy was interested in but she could tell the proprietor was getting suspicious, so she tried a different approach, hoping against hope that it'd work.

"The thing is, that… er… boy who was in here just now, Draco Malfoy, well, he's a friend of mine, and I want to get him a birthday present, but if he's already reserved anything, I obviously don't want to get him the same thing, so… um…"

"Out," he said sharply. "Get out!"

Hermione did not wait to be asked twice, and together with Harry and Ron, she made her way back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, unsatisfied with what little they found out.

* * *

One week before it was time to head back to Hogwarts, Harry was still as preoccupied with Malfoy's fishy behaviour as Hermione was. In fact he came up with a theory that was shocking – he thought Malfoy took his father's place as a Death Eater!

Ron was sceptic about it and Hermione tended to agree with him, but then Harry pointed out a very interesting fact: back at Madam Malkin's, she hadn't even touched Malfoy, yet he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve – his left sleeve, covering his left arm. That could very well mean that he'd been recently branded with the Dark Mark.

Hermione wasn't convinced, but then Harry argued that in Borgin and Burkes, he'd shown the proprietor something they hadn't been able to see, something that seriously scared Borgin – and what could be scarier than the Dark Mark?

Unfortunately, they didn't know anything for sure, so they could only speculate, and Hermione wasn't very keen on doing that.

The first of September arrived before long and it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Hermione was somewhat anxious about this new school year, what with Voldemort being out there, but she was still determined to learn as much as she possibly could so that she would be prepared for the war that was inevitably drawing near.

As Gryffndor Prefects, she and Ron had to join the prefects from the other houses in a special train carriage where the Head Boy and Girl would instruct them of their duties – not that Hermione wasn't perfectly aware of what her responsibilities were. However, this year, the lecture was much longer than usual and when it was finally finished, Ron suddenly cried out.

"Hermione, hurry, or we'll miss the trolley witch! I can't believe it's so late already", he complained then ran out the door, not waiting for her.

"We're supposed to be patrolling the corridors, Ronald, not getting food!" she shouted after him, though she blushed a little that they had made a scene.

Luckily, the others didn't seem to mind, as they also left one by one. Hermione was still gathering her notes when she suddenly realized she wasn't alone - someone had stayed behind with her.

"Can he even afford to buy anything from the trolley? He'll probably just leech off of Potter", said a drawling voice behind her.

Hermione quickly turned around and, as expected, Draco Malfoy was there, an insufferable expression on his already insufferable, albeit indisputably handsome face.

"What's it to you?" she snapped, not in the mood for his pettiness. She headed towards the door but he surprised her by grabbing her hand, none too gentle.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, you're quite right, Granger. What Weaselbee does isn't worth wasting one thought on, I have better things to."

"Wonderful", Hermione spit out, "then perhaps you can start by unhanding me", she said, unnerved by how her skin tingled where his fingers held her fast. "As it happens, I too, have better things to do than waste another moment of my time on you."

She tried to be as acid as possible, but the truth was that it was decidedly difficult for her to maintain a cool exterior. His presence in the small train carriage seemed to saturate the space, and his proximity, not to mention his scent, did weird things to her head. She felt dizzy… like she was drowning, asphyxiated….

"You've got that backwards, Granger. My time is too precious to waste so you should be grateful I'm giving you the time of day."

"That's one 'favour' I can do without, Malfoy", Hermione said, and she drew her wand out, pointing it directly at his pretty face.

"Ooooh, feisty – but we both know that wand is an empty threat. I'm sure you wouldn't use magic and cause trouble. You are, after all, a Prefect, so you have to be a model for the rest of the students."

He knew how to push her buttons, but Hermione wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"I'm glad you remembered I'm a Prefect, because that means I won't hesitate to act in order to ensure that students behave – all students, and that includes you, Malfoy, even if you are a Prefect yourself... Not that your current actions are in any way befitting your station", she added.

"What current actions might you be referring to?" he asked, an ironic smile playing on his lips. "I'm merely socializing with my fellow Prefect, which should be a perfectly acceptable mode of conduct."

"Is that what you call this? I call it restraining me against my will, so let go now, or I won't be held accountable for the consequences", she threatened and several sparks shot out of the tip of her wand.

It had been involuntary, but apparently enough to make Malfoy let go of her arm.

"See you later, Granger", he said pleasantly as she slammed the door of the train carriage in his smiling face.

The rest of the train ride went by in a blur, as Hermione saw red after her meeting with Malfoy. Not even the carriage ride from Hogsmeade to the castle calmed her down, though the cool evening air did help a bit. She wandered why Harry wasn't there with them but she supposed they could have gotten separated on the way – her mind simply wasn't in it to dig further.

The Start-of-term feast didn't do much good for her disposition either, especially when she saw Harry's bloody nose, and then found out that Professor Slughorn would be teaching Potions while Snape would be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts. And then there was Dumbledore's speech about Voldemort and the Death Eaters…

However, Hermione had no time to dwell on that, she had to lead the first year Gryffindors to their Common Room, and she was doubly annoyed that Ron didn't assist her, preferring to stay behind with Harry instead. So much for his duties as Prefect! He might have been considerate enough to help her with this task, but no, that was asking too much of Ron.

Once she was finally in her dormitory, Hermione started taking off her clothes, thinking that as soon as she was in her PJs, she'd get into bed, try that Daydream charm and probably fall asleep before the charm wore off.

However, she stopped short before pulling her nightgown on, because she noticed something dark on her arm. When she looked closer, sure enough, there were five round bruises on her arm – exactly in the place where Malfoy's fingers had bit into her skin earlier!

Hermione had half a mind to go straight to McGonagall first thing in the morning, to show her the marks and ask her to deduct points from Slytherin for it, but then thought better of it. She didn't want to let Malfoy know he'd upset her.

Exhaustion took over and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, as she headed towards the Great Hall with Harry and Ron, they discussed what had happened to Harry's nose (Malfoy got the better of him and broken it): Ron had already heard the story, but Harry told her everything, not leaving out any details of what he'd overheard Malfoy saying.

Hermione could tell that Harry was now fully convinced that Malfoy was a Death Eater.

"Come on, Harry, he was just showing off for Parkinson… What kind of mission would You-Know-Who have given him?" Ron asked, unimpressed with what Harry had just shared.

Hermione wasn't certain things were quite so simple and she said so.

"Well, I don't know… It would be like Malfoy to make himself seem more important than he is… but that's a big lie to tell…"

"Exactly," Harry agreed, and he looked like he wanted to continue arguing the point, however at that moment they reached the Gryffindor table and Ron got too wrapped up in eating to carry on with any civilized conversation.

Hermione herself was in no mood to speculate on whether Malfoy was truly a Death Eater or just boasting for his girlfriend's sake, so she focused on her food as well, that is, until an owl she was not familiar with dropped a small parcel in front of her, then flew away.

Hermione wasn't expecting any packages so she quickly opened the parcel, very intrigued, and drew in a sharp breath when she saw what was inside: a black lace tattoo choker with a black diamond pendant… at least, she thought it was a diamond, it certainly didn't look like an ordinary rhinestone. It must have been extremely expensive and it looked amazing.

If she didn't know better, she would have thought that perhaps the owl hadn't delivered the parcel to the right person, but she saw her name clear as day, written on the paper wrappings. However, there was no indication as to who had sent the choker, neither on the wrappings nor inside of the parcel.

"Woah, who sent that to you, Hermione?" Ginny asked, sounding thoroughly impressed.

"I have no idea…" she trailed off, nonplussed.

Could it have been Ron? The question was out before she was able to stop herself in order to think things through.

"Ron? Did you…?", again, she couldn't finish her sentence, but there was no need to.

"What?" Ron asked, his mouth filled with food, his expression completely blank – he hadn't noticed the parcel and what was in it.

"Never mind", Hermione said quickly, shaking her head in disbelief that she had entertained such a foolish notion even for a second.

Not only was the gift too expensive for Ron to afford, but he'd never be so considerate as to give her such a nice present. He wasn't exactly the flowers and chocolate type and besides, they were officially just friends, nothing more…

When Ginny made a gesture like she was going to touch the diamond pendant, Hermione prevented her from doing so, drawing the magnificent piece of jewellery away, so Ginny couldn't reach it.

"Wait, we don't know who sent it, perhaps it's not safe to touch", she warned.

By then, her gift was drawing quite a lot of attention. The entire Gryffindor table seemed to have gathered round to admire it, Lavender and Parvati oooh-ing loudly, and even Luna had come over to admire the beautiful choker.

Hermione could feel herself go red in the face, for once not relishing in the fact that she was the focus of everyone's attention. Ron had finally stopped eating and was looking at her weirdly.

"There's no note?" he asked sourly, and if she had any lingering doubts about him being the one who sent the gift, Hermione could now rest assured that he was not. Ron's tone and expression suggested that he thought she had a secret or not-so-secret admirer that she hadn't told him about.

"No", she said in a small voice.

Could Viktor have sent it, Hermione wondered, but quickly dismissed the idea. While he did hold her in high regard and could probably afford to send her such an expensive gift, surely he would have sent her a note along with it, despite being rather shy. What was the point in sending a gift and not signing your name?

The unknown filled her with dread and for the second time that day she felt like she was asphyxiating, and it reminded her about the person who had first made her feel that way – Draco Malfoy.

He was rich enough to afford something like that choker, but why would he send it to her? Unless it was cursed, which was entirely possible, and the reason why she had warned Ginny not to touch it in the first place.

Even the name 'choker' sounded sinister when associated with Draco Malfoy, like if he'd have given her the item, his intentions would have been for it to literally 'choke her'. The word sent her thinking of asphyxiation again, and whether it was the power of thought or simply too many candles and too many people gathered in the Great Hall, Hermione really felt like she had no air.

She breathed slowly, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat and then ventured a look at the Slytherin table, quickly lowering her gaze when she noticed Malfoy was watching her. However, the other Slytherins were clearly curious about what was happening too, so it wasn't like he was the only one looking. Any one of them could have held a grudge against her, the Gryffindor 'mudblood', and most were rich enough to afford sending her a cursed item.

"I'll go ask Professor McGonagall whether she can detect any dark magic on it", she declared, deciding that she'd been in the the spotlight for quite long enough and it was time to do something to elucidate the mystery.

"Safer that way", Harry agreed.

She walked briskly to the staff table and after politely greeting everyone, she addressed her Head of House and Deputy Headmistress.

"Professor McGonagall", she said, "I just received this item – it doesn't say who it's from and I'm afraid it might be cursed. Do you think you could tell me whether it's safe to touch it or not?"

Professor McGonagall took the parcel, careful not to directly touch the choker and looked at it closely.

"Why would you suspect it might be cursed, Miss Granger?"

"I don't really have any reason to suspect that, but wouldn't it be better to err on the side of caution? Besides, I find it peculiar that whoever sent the choker didn't deem it appropriate to add a note stating their name and the reason for sending me something like this", she said. "I realize that everything the owls bring in from outside is being checked, so in theory the choker can't be infused with dark magic, but I just have a bad feeling about it."

Hermione hoped she didn't sound foolish and cowardly – it would be completely unfit for an almost-placed-in-Ravenclaw student of Gryffindor House. However, something simply didn't add up and she preferred to be safe than sorry.

"In light of recent events, perhaps you're right to be cautious", Professor McGonagall said, as she waved her wand over the choker, chanting several spells out of which Hermione recognized a few as detection spells.

"I can't detect anything wrong with it. Severus, seeing as you're the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, would you care to take a look?" McGonagall asked Snape.

"Of course, Headmistress", he replied as he took hold of the parcel, and chanting spells over it.

"I don't detect any dark magic either", he declared after several minutes of intent spell casting.

"May I see it too, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore himself asked, and Hermione passed him the choker, being extra careful to only touch the paper wrapping and not the choker itself.

Hermione observed as Dumbledore cast several nonverbal spells, but in the end he arrived at the same conclusion.

"You must have a great admirer, Miss Granger, and no wonder, you're so accomplished. The necklace is safe. " the headmaster declared. "However, just to be on the safe side, I'll touch it first", he continued, and then used a finger of his undamaged hand (Hermione wandered what had happened to the other one to make it look so blackened and… well, lifeless) to poke the choker.

Nothing happened, and Hermione released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

However, the fact that the necklace wasn't cursed was more puzzling than if it had been…

"Perhaps you'd like to put it on now, so that we can make sure that nothing happens when _you_ touch it, Miss Granger", Dumbledore suggested. "Perhaps if it is an ill-intended 'gift', someone might have enchanted it in such way that it only has an effect on you, the intended 'target'."

Hermione saw the sense in that and with a slightly trembling hand she touched the choker with one finger, just like the headmaster had done.

Once again, nothing happened.

Encouraged, Hermione placed the choker around her neck and clasped it shut… and at that very moment she felt a slight tingle go through her body.

She told herself it was nothing, just the effect of the the cold pendant of the choker touching the flushed skin of her neck, but she had a feeling that wasn't all there was to it.

However, she felt foolish telling the professors that she felt a 'tingle' – and they were all clearly waiting for her to say something.

"Well, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Uhm… I guess everything's OK", she said, gulping away her unease. "Sorry to have bothered you."

"It was no bother, Miss Granger, that's what we're here for. Now go enjoy the meal with your friends", Dumbledore said kindly.

As she made her way back to the Gryffindor table, Ginny was practically bouncing on her seat with excitement.

"I take it the choker's safe?" the redhead asked.

"That's the general opinion", Hermione replied quietly, not wanting to draw more attention.

"Then you actually have a secret admirer, I wonder who it could be…" Ginny trailed off, her eyes wondering wildly about the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. No one in their right mind would have looked at the Slytherin table.

"Who cares? If he doesn't have the courage to sign his name when sending a present, then he's probably not a Gryffindor, and not worth thinking about twice", Ron argued belligerently.

"Oh, like you're so very courageous when it comes to love. Wait, I forget, you have no love life", Ginny teased mercilessly.

Hermione tuned out their banter, and considered whether people would think her cowardly if she just retired and went to the library to do some reading before the first class began. She didn't want to look as if she was running away so she patiently waited for everyone else to finish eating.

As they headed to class, she kept fingering the choker, wondering who could have sent it to her and why.

Luckily, Gryffindors had no classes with Slytherin that first day, so she didn't have to put up with any teasing from them - Hermione was sure they'd make really rude comments about the entire situation.

The day passed by quickly and by the time she went up to her dormitory, Hermione had forgotten all about the mysterious gift, her head filled with all the new things she'd learned during classes.

She made a bit of small talk with Parvati but then she let the Indian girl chat with her best friend, Lavender, and she changed into her nightgown.

When getting ready for bed, Hermione realized that she still had the choker on and was just about to unclasp it and take it off her neck, when she decided she'd leave it on. She liked the way it felt against her skin, warm now, perhaps even warmer than her skin, which was strange, but Hermione was too tired to try and make sense of it.

She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow but she had a fitful sleep filled with nightmares in which she was drowning – slowly asphyxiating as her lungs filled with water instead of the much needed air.

The following morning it took Hermione a while to get over the strong impression that the nightmares of drowning had on her, and as she exited the dormitory to meet up with Harry and Ron, she had the random thought that water was the element associated with Slytherin house.


	2. I want to break the spell you've created

**A/N:** I know it's been foreeeeeveeeeerr and ever since I posted an update and I'm extremely sorry for that but now I'm back and determined to post a chapter every couple of weeks if not faster, and try to make up for lost time.

Anyways, now it's finally time to get a glimpse of Draco's thoughts as the story progresses through his eyes. I had to go back a bit and set the background for the story from his point of view, so while the first part of the chapter will mostly present Draco's musings, as we get to that very first day of school the plot will pick up from where we left off. Bear with the lack of action, because the waiting will be well worth it, or so I think :D More actions in the chapters to follow, which I've already started working on (ch. 3, 4 and 5 for now).

Without further ado, enjoy this latest instalment and don't forget to review ;)

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**Chapter 2 - I want to break the spell that you've created **

**(Draco p.o.v.)**

Draco hadn't wanted to become a Death Eater, and his mother had also been less than happy with the idea, though she hid it well, lest she incurred the wrath of the Dark Lord. Draco's father, however, couldn't be prouder – he was in Azkaban, disgraced, but he hoped that if Draco proved useful to the Dark Lord, then all would be forgiven. And apparently the Dark Lord had a mission for Draco, which settled the matter, whether Draco liked it or not.

There was a silver lining though, in the fact that the mission he was entrusted with wasn't anything drastic like killing Dumbledore, as was first suggested by the Dark Lord… Draco had dreaded having to kill, so he suggested that it might be better to just find a way to bring the Death Eaters into Hogwarts so that the chances of killing Dubmbledore were better. He also offered to spy on Potter and his friends and on Dumbledore himself if possible… and what better way to do that than by going after the weakest of the golden trio?

Not that Hermione Granger was weak, in fact Draco suspected she was the strongest of the three Gryffindors, but Voldemort considered her weak simply because she was muggle born… to the Dark Lord it didn't matter that she was brilliant and probably knew more spells than any other student at Hogwarts – the lack of blood purity obliterated any positive traits she might possess. Still, Draco had played an additional card by pointing out that Granger was smart, so Potter was more likely to confide in her than in Weaselbee. And so if Dumbledore confided anything in Potter, it would inevitably be heard by Granger as well and that's where Draco came in.

The Dark Lord had agreed to the idea, though he made it clear that if within the year he didn't find a way into Hogwarts and also if no useful information came his way, Draco would have to revert to the original mission, which was to kill the Headmaster of Hogwarts himself.

In any case, unbeknownst to anyone else, Draco's suggestion to go after Granger hadn't been an objective, impersonal means to achieve a goal. He'd hidden the truth through proficient Occlumency, and Draco thought that perhaps the only good thing his aunt ever did was to teach him that particular skill of cloaking his thoughts and feelings so well that even the Dark Lord couldn't divine them.

The reason why he'd suggested going after Granger was that Draco wanted her for himself – pure and simple… although there was nothing 'pure' about it, quite the contrary. What had started as animosity between the two of them had turned into a sort of obsession for him – he couldn't stop thinking about Granger ever since she'd hit him in their third year. Sure, he'd deserved it, Draco realized that much, but the explosive temper she'd displayed back then made him wonder how else she might put that temper to use – to better use…

He was sure he could get drunk on passion like hers and it would make him feel alive, something he'd wanted for a long time… While Draco had been spoiled by his parents, his father had always expected too much of him, berating him for letting a mudblood get the better of him in school. As for his mother, although there was no question in Draco's mind that she loved him very much, she wasn't one to express it out in the open too often. He was raised in a cold environment of propriety and lack of emotions which made him feel dead inside… Not even Pansy Parkinson, who fancied herself his girlfriend, had managed to get an emotional response out of him, though she had no trouble obtaining a physical response… though now that he thought about it, even the physical response was fading away due to the routine. Pansy was too easy and he'd had her too many times to present any challenge.

Draco had only ever used Pansy as an outlet for his frustration of not having Granger and although neither of the two girls had any idea about it, Draco always thought of Granger when he was with Pansy, otherwise she never would have gotten even a physical response from him. She wasn't that pretty to begin with, while she was plenty annoying and lately way too clingy and needy. He'd have to do something about it, but not quite yet. Pansy still had her uses.

In any case, it was clear to Draco that he needed Granger to light the spark of life in him, and he relished the challenge of winning her – anyone would have said it was an impossible task to get the haughty Gryffindor princess to fall for the fallen Slytherin prince. Draco was well aware she looked down on him, a fact which irked him to no end given that he was the pureblood in this equation – despite her many talents, she remained a mudblood, so he was incensed that she spurned him.

Also, it would serve her right if he got her to fall in love with him only to drop her afterwards – he expected it would destroy that pride of hers, and it was no more than she deserved for casting this spell on him that made him so crazy with wanting to have her.

Draco was not beyond thinking she'd slipped him a love potion, but he doubted any such potion in existence could have been so potent because what he was feeling was too strong to be artificial… besides, why would she want him infatuated with her? Just to mock him? No, that would be a Slytherin move, not something a good little Gryffindor like her would do.

Case in point, Draco was determined to have his fill of Granger because that was the only way he could break the spell that she'd cast on him. It was frustrating that he was so good at Occlumency – which required a great capacity for compartmentalizing emotions – and yet he couldn't get over his obsession with this one girl. So the sooner he made her his and then got her out of his system, the better.

Draco hadn't expected to meet Granger sooner than the first of September, when they'd both be in the Prefect's carriage on the Hogwarts Express – but she'd come in at Madam Malkin's, just as he was trying on his new robes, and she was accompanied, of course, by Potty and the Weasel.

When he saw her black eye, Draco had been enraged. Who had done that to her? His foul mood back then had been because if someone was going to hurt her, it had to be him, no one else. He already considered Hermione his, and no one touched what was his, either to hurt or caress…

Caressing her, now there was an intriguing thought.

But that hadn't been the time to tip his hand - he had to maintain appearances for a while longer so he teased her and left sooner than he would have liked. On the plus side, he managed to ditch his mother before heading to Borgin and Burke's, where he intended to pick up something special for Granger.

He had ordered a beautiful choker which was, unfortunately for her, infused with dark magic of the best kind – untraceable. The proprietor had vowed that the spell which was placed on the item ensured that it couldn't be detected when it wasn't activated, and it wouldn't be activated until it touched the skin of its target.

Draco had purchased the item and then had gone a step further, by enchanting the choker with a spell of his own making, so that the dark magic could only be activated by him, even if its target was already wearing it… that way it really would be extremely difficult to detect the danger before it was too late. Because once Granger put the choker around her neck, it would be impossible for anyone other than him to take it off.

He was surprised to receive an owl from Borgin that very evening, telling him that someone had come snooping around trying to find out information about Draco's purchase. Draco had no trouble identifying Hermione Granger as the culprit, and he was amused when he read the proprietor's description of her lame attempts to gather information: she'd actually said she was his friend and wanted to buy him something for his birthday… which he very much doubted she knew was in June, so had long since passed.

He didn't let on that he knew about her queries at Borgin and Burke's when they met again, this time as expected, in the prefect carriage – he noticed with satisfaction that her black eye had gone, but he would like to find out one day what had happened to her. He stayed behind when the Weasel left, chasing after the trolley witch – a much better match for him, as Hermione Granger was obviously so far out of his league, it wasn't even funny.

And what was even less funny, was the fact that Granger had brushed him off and would have left him standing there, had he not grabbed her. He made sure he squeezed hard enough to leave a mark or two… or five, so that she'd remember the consequences of defying him. It would prove a useful lesson for the future, given that he intended to have his way with her, though the thought of her resisting was quite as appealing as the idea of her being submissive.

Draco wasn't sure which one he'd prefer, but perhaps he could get both… after all, knowing Granger, she'd start off defiant, being the Gryffindor that she was, but he was sure he could tear down her resistance until she became more…accommodating to his needs.

He was tempted to shut her impudent mouth with a punishing kiss, but she already had her wand pointed at him, so better not to risk it. After all, he had his secret weapon ready – the necklace that would make her submit to him.

So he let her go and went to sit with his Slytherin colleagues. His mood had taken a turn for the worse when Pansy started acting like his girlfriend just because he wanted to rest his head on something softer than the train bench, but luckily his encounter with Potter had made him feel loads better: 'the boy who lived' could go on living with a broken nose, it was no more than he deserved for being so nosy.

He had spent the start of the year feast not feasting on food but rather staring at Granger, well, covertly, otherwise he'd have some explaining to do and he had no intention of doing that. During the night he dreamt of her, dreams that made him hot and bothered, not to mention uncomfortably hard.

On the plus side though, none of the professors had managed to identify anything suspicious about the choker he'd sent Granger. He felt extreme satisfaction when she placed the choker around the neck, sealing her fate without even knowing it.

He'd lure her into a false feeling of security by not activating the spell on the choker that day… he'd wait for the perfect moment and then enjoy the look of shock on her face when she realizes that she and all the professors were outsmarted.

* * *

"What are you smirking for, Draco?" Pansy asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"You call that a smirk?" Theodore Nott observed, as he stirred his green tea. "I say that's too evil an expression to qualify as a smirk, so I don't even want to think about what's going on inside Draco's head."

"And such a pretty head at that", Pansy purred, as she ran her fingers through his hair. The gesture felt anything but good to Draco so he casually pried her hand away.

"How about you all mind your own business", Draco said, his voice just shy of sharp. He couldn't afford anyone finding out about his plans.

"Oooh, someone's grumpy", Daphne Greengrass teased. "What do you say we leave him to brood or plot whatever it is that's making him look so evil and we go have some fun in the Common Room? How about a game of exploding snap?"

"Might as well, before classes start and we'll be buried in homework."

"Oh, lighten up, Theo", Blaise Zabini said, as he got up from the Slytherin table. "We'll have an entire year to worry about homework…"

Draco tuned out their voices, glad that they were going, so he could watch Granger for a little longer without running the risk of being discovered staring.

But Pansy was still there, as well as Crabbe and Goyle.

"What's wrong, Draco?"

"Why would something be wrong, Pansy? Just because we've slept together a couple of times does not mean that you know me."

She looked hurt, but Draco didn't really care. It was her fault for assuming things.

"Look, just to be clear, this year I've got a lot going on, so whatever we had going on is over, ok?" he added, to make sure she understood the situation. "So go play exploding snap with the others and let me be."

"Fine!" she snapped and left huffing, her nose up in the air – not a very flattering look for her, but then Draco didn't really care as long as she left and didn't come back.

"You two might as well go too, I'm in no mood for company", he told his minions and they dutifully left, wistfully eyeing the remainder of the feast. Skipping dessert couldn't hurt either of them, so Draco felt no remorse in sending Crabbe and Goyle away.

He watched his 'target' for a while. She was immersed in conversation with her Gryffindor friends, but every now and then her hand would go up to her neck and she'd touch the choker. Each time, as soon as she realized her unconscious gesture, she would hastily retreat her hand, and look around as if she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

Draco wondered who she imagined had sent her the 'gift'. She'd looked at him earlier, when she'd just opened the package containing the choker, so the though had crossed Granger's mind that it was he who had sent it to her. But Draco could tell she changed her mind, writing him off as an improbable person to gift her anything. If she only knew….

When she left with Potter and the Weasel, Draco saw no reason to continue sitting in the extremely crowded and noisy Great Hall. He followed the trio up the staircases, although he couldn't hear what they were saying – he had to keep a distance so that he wouldn't look suspicious, given that the Slytherin common room was down in the dungeons.

He did catch a little of their conversation, and it was clear they were speculating about Draco's words back on the Hogwarts express. That blasted Potter, to think he had the guts to spy on him in a train carriage filled with Slytherins… he didn't lack any courage, that much was sure, but then again, it had been extremely satisfying to break his nose. Too bad he had already had it fixed, not to mention someone discovered him under that invisibility cloak.

Draco had hoped he'd be all the way back to London before anyone figured out he was there, but Potter had the devil's luck. Still, it had been very fun to re-enact the moment he broke Potter's nose, and his audience had been thrilled. But the adulation from his peers wasn't exactly cutting it anymore. Draco needed something more, and he knew that only by possessing Granger would he feel free from his obsession.

He returned to the Common Room but his fellow Slytherins were still immersed in their game, so he went directly to the dormitory, hoping to get some rest before what he hoped would be an eventful day tomorrow. However, that night he tossed and turned in his bed, in the thrall of a very intense dream.

In his dream, he and Granger were alone in one of the dungeons.

"_What do you want, Malfoy?_"

"_I want to break the spell you've created. And unless you tell me how to do that, I'm going to do it my way, which I guarantee you won't like… on a second thought, you will like it, and a lot too_"

"_What spell? I haven't been inventing any new spells and even if I did, despite my not liking you one bit, I wouldn't just randomly test spells on you. You're not making any sense._" _She was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind, but Draco wasn't going to be fooled so easily._

"_First of all, I highly doubt that you don't like me one bit, in fact, I think you like me very much but you refuse to admit it. After all, what's not to like? And second, maybe it wasn't a spell, maybe it was a love potion, although I just don't see how Amortentia could be so strong – not that I've experienced it before, and not for a lack of trying from others. Girls have been trying to slip me love potions for years but I've been smart enough to avoid them… perhaps till now, but then I always knew that if someone could outsmart me, it'd be you."_

"_Malfoy, I have most certainly NOT given you any love potion so whatever it is you think is happening to you is not my fault. If you feel sick or something, I can take you to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey and you should be grateful I do even that much given how you've treated me and my friends over the years."_

"_I kind of anticipated that so… Obfoco!" As he chanted the spell, he saw Granger's surprised look as the choker began to cut off her air supply._

_She tried to pry it off her neck, to no avail. He let her struggle for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of having power over her, but he didn't want her seriously injured …yet._

"_Finite!" he said and watched as she collapsed to the floor, drawing deep breaths. _

_He grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against him, circling her waist with his other arm just to be sure she couldn't escape._

_Draco didn't waste any time in sealing her lips with his, and taking advantage that she was still trying to catch her breath, he easily slipped his tongue inside her mouth, tasting the sweetness within._

_She tried to get away, but her fists against his chest were as pointless as trying to tame a blast ended skrewt. He tightened his hold on her, so that her fists remained trapped between their bodies._

_When he had to breathe or die, she immediately took the chance to protest verbally, given the captive state of her arms._

"_I don't know what's gotten into you, Malfoy, but you'd better release me immediately or…"_

"_Or what?" he cut her off, enjoying that she was still bossy despite her predicament. "There's no one here but you and I, and if you do go complaining who is going to believe you? Your word against mine, and I'm a pureblood while you're a filthy mudblood… and everyone knows I wouldn't touch a mudblood."_

"_Except you just did! And forget my complaining to anyone, I'm going to jinx you into oblivion the first chance I get."_

_He tsked while drawing her face closer to his._

"_You can try, but remember that I can choke the life out of you anytime I want, so you'd better behave."_

_Draco captured her jaw in his hand and forced it open so that she could receive another hot kiss. The hand he held her waist with went lower to caress her rounded bottom, but then he squeezed, making sure Granger would feel a bit of pain, just to drive the point home that she was at his mercy._

* * *

Draco woke up suddenly, disappointed that the dream had ended before he got to the good parts. He also noticed that he had a painful erection but he knew that his dream had been a prophetic one…because he could make it happen whenever he chose to, given that his choker was on Granger's neck. With that thought in mind he went to take a shower…

He considered a moment whether he should take a cold shower or just use the lingering images from the dream to get himself off, and decided that thinking of Granger would be far more satisfying than a cold shower.

The blasted castle was made of stone and it was rather cold even in early autumn – especially when you lived in the dungeons. As he got out of the shower, he wondered whose bright idea was to place the Slytherin Common Room underground, but then he figured it must have something to do with the nearness of the Black Lake. After all, the element of Slytherin house was water.

"Long time in the shower, Draco", Blaise said. "Any particular reason that you'd care to share? Hot dream?" he teased.

"That's not really any of your concern, Blaise, is it now?" Draco snapped, not in the mood to indulge his fellow Slytherin.

He had to advance his plans with Granger because fun part aside, he had a mission from the Dark Lord and he couldn't afford to fail – his life and the lives of his parents were at stake. He was sure he could get information from her, if not voluntarily, which was unlikely, then by force – physical, or mental, in which case his legilimens skills would come in handy. He was better at Occlumency than Legilimency but unless Granger was an outstanding Occlumens, Draco was sure he could find out some things from her.

Granger was outstanding at many things though, so getting into her mind might prove to be challenging. If all else failed, he still had a backup plan thanks to the Room of Hidden Things. The Vanishing Cabinet could be fixed, he was sure of it, and once he managed to repair it, it would form a passage with the one in Borgin and Burke and his mission would be completed. The Dark Lord would be pleased and his family safe.

Draco had been so lost in thought he hadn't even realized he'd arrived in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

The first thing he did was check to see if Granger was there… and of course she was, Weasel and Potter in tow. The best thing though, she was still wearing the choker… he wondered if she'd considered removing it to find out she couldn't…. it had been a risk not approaching her before and telling her about the choker but he had a feeling she wouldn't want to take it off yet.

Draco had added a touch of spell of compulsion on the choker – a much milder version of the Imperius curse that made the wearer not want to take it off. The beauty of the choker pretty much made sure she wouldn't want to take it off anytime soon but it was better to have an insurance. The spell was harmless enough that it wouldn't be detected as dark magic, although he did worry for a while when Dumbledore and the rest of the professors scrutinized the choker.

Snape started the class, but Draco wasn't paying much attention. He was already pretty skilled with nonverbal spells.

He sniggered when the professor told Granger that her answer to the question regarding those spells was taken almost word by word from the textbook.

Trust Granger to memorize the entire book of spells.

He ignored Potter's defiance of Snape – for once, it didn't bother him because Snape was a bit of a nuisance lately, offering unsolicited help and whatnot.

He got lucky at Arhitmancy. Professor Vector decided to do something completely new and had them pair up in order to figure out some particularly complex number charts.

"My top two students will obviously work together", she said happily, and completely oblivious to Granger's dismay at such an assignment.

"Want to go first, Granger?" he asked, gallantly offering her the charts.

"Actually, I think I can work these out on my own, Malfoy, so you just sit back and I'll do the rest."

Draco imagined her speaking those words in a whole different context and he felt himself get hard again. He liked how bossy she was, but he wasn't the type to be ordered about.

"Thanks, but I'm not the kind of person who lets his partner do all the work" he said with a leer that made her blush all the way up to the roots of her bushy hair.

"Besides", he continued before she could voice her indignation, "I rather enjoy this subject so I wouldn't _dream _of letting you have all the fun."

"Fine!" she snapped as she split the charts between them.

"You should come a bit closer if we're to work together", he drawled, extremely amused that she was sitting at the far end of the desk, and on the farther edge of the seat from him – in fact, he was surprised she didn't slip off to the floor on that tempting bottom of hers, she was sitting that precariously.

She moved the tiniest bit closer but once they started working together, her scholar instincts took over and she obviously relaxed, coming closer to him, so close that at one point their upper arms touched.

She hastily moved away, but Draco was quite pleased and decided to add floo powder to the fireplace.

"Nice choker, who gave it to you?"

Self-consciously, she raised her hand to her slender neck and touched the choker. Draco wondered whether Ganger would lie to him or tell him the truth – which was that she didn't know.

"I have no idea, it was sent to me with no note. Do _you _know who sent it to me?" she replied and looked him straight in the eyes, something she didn't usually do, especially at such close range.

He held her stare and didn't bat an eye when he replied.

"I figure you might look them up at St. Mungo's – in the loony ward, because only a lunatic would send something so expensive to a mudblood."

She flinched at the use of the vulgar word, but she quickly recovered.

"No need for name calling, Malfoy, but then you're no better than that, so I don't know why I should expect better. Let's just get back to work, shall we?"

"Sure", he agreed, his voice a bit huskier than usual, but that was only to be expected given his state of arousal.

Sitting so close to her he could smell her perfume, something like sandalwood and also other scents he couldn't quite place but which ensnared his senses better than any Amortentia potion. Her voice and her spunk also did things to him and being so close to her body he could almost imagine her body heat mixing with his – and he didn't know about Granger, but he could feel the heat rolling off of him, he was that hot for her.

Draco realized she was talking to him.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"I asked if you were done with that chart", she said in a terse voice.

Draco nodded and pushed the chart to her… he didn't trust himself to speak. Just like in his dream, he wanted to ask her what spell she'd cast on him that kept him so obsessed with her, wanting her so bad.

He was more determined than ever that he would have her and then be free of her… still, he didn't want to rush things, first he was going to play with her, throw her off her game and maybe, just to make her see what it felt like, he'd make her fall for him…

No girl could resist him once he'd made up his mind to have her – Granger won't prove to be any different, he was sure…

The class was over much sooner than he would have liked, but maybe it was better that way: it was both pleasure and pain to sit so close to her and not touch her.

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Granger!" he said with a smirk, but she didn't even reply, she just gathered her things and marched out of the classroom.

He laughed and followed her, knowing she was heading to Potions, yet another class they had together.

He sat with Theo and when Granger told Slughorn she was muggle born, he didn't waste the occasion to comment with his friend.

"Mudblood is the right word for it, not that she'd ever use it", he said and they laughed together.

Draco's laugh died soon though when the professor commented that Potter had said that one of his best friends was Muggle-born and that she was the best in their year… and Granger couldn't look more pleased.

Was there something going on between the two of them? If anything, he though she and the Weasel might have a thing going, but maybe it had been Potter all along, like Rita Skeeter had suggested back in their fourth year… not to mention there was Viktor Krum..

Draco's mood took a definite turn for the worse when he considered that Granger might actually have a love life… he thought she was too much of a bookworm and a prude to pursue any romantic relationship, but then there was that Gryffindor fire hidden inside her…

He hoped she hadn't shared that fire with anyone yet as he felt it belonged to him, whether she liked it or not…

The talk about Amortentia wasn't helping either, but then the professor mentioned Felix Felicis, liquid luck and that got Draco's attention.

He sure could use it to fix that bloody cabinet, not to mention he might even get Granger for a day if he drank it, so he set his mind on making the very best Draught of Living Death potion.

Needless to say, his disappointment was extreme when not only did he not make the best potion, but it wasn't even Granger who beat him to it, but Potter! Potter, for crying out loud, who was abysmal in Potions, how on earth had he managed it? It clearly wasn't luck, as the 'chosen one' claimed – he'd need a full cauldron of Felix Felicis to get lucky enough to improve his potion making skills just like that.

Over the next week, Draco derived his amusement from sending Granger gifts every morning at breakfast in the Great Hall. Nothing of the magnitude of the enchanted choker, of course, but enough to make her wonder who her secret admirer was.

The second gift was a roll of the highest quality parchment, and this time he did add a note saying "For when you want to write me notes". Draco used a spell that changed his handwriting to a standard font that one might find in a spellbook, because he didn't want to risk someone recognizing that he had written the note.

Granger looked bewildered by the gift, as she frantically looked around the Great Hall, trying to figure out who had sent her the parchment.

The following morning he sent her the book 'Sonnets of a Sorcerer'. It had been a cursed book that the Weasel's father had confiscated a while back but which Draco's own father had later on retrieved. Draco had removed the curse before sending it to Granger – he didn't want her talking in limericks for the rest of her life, but the sonnets were rather dark and intense and he felt it was an appropriate gift. Plus, Granger loved books. He didn't send a note on this particular occasion, the sonnets were enough of a message to convey the powerful and mixed feelings he had for her.

After that he sent her everything from silver scales (with the note 'Even with these precise scales you can't weigh my feelings for you'), to protective gloves ('It would be a pity to hurt such beautiful hands that will surely feel like heaven on my skin') and he even sent her new robes ('I'm sure I got the measurements right because I've been devouring you with my eyes for a while now… and I'll make sure to get you out of your robes the first chance I get').

His notes were getting bolder and bolder and Draco enjoyed how red Granger's face became each time she read them.

Draco had no idea if she kept his gifts but that didn't really matter as long as she had the choker on her neck at all times.

When he wasn't watching her, he spent his time mostly in the Room of Hidden Things, working on the Vanishing Cabinet. He was making progress but too slowly for his liking.

Soon he'd have to act and reveal to Granger that he had a leash on her… and then see how soon he could make her submissive and eating out of the palm of his hand.


	3. You're smth beautiful, a contradiction

**A/N:** Chapter 3 is here, not as soon as I would have liked, but alas, I've been going over it again and again. For some reason I wasn't very happy with the long introspective parts of the chapter, especially at the beginning, so I keep on modifying it. Anyways, hope the final result is good and that you'll enjoy it. Besides, I made it in time for the 31st of July, which is Harry Potter day in my book given that it's both the author and Harry's birthday. Who else will be binge watching the movies on the 31st? I know I will :)))

Remember to leave a review if you liked this chapter – oh, and constructive criticism is welcome as an important part of writing is to create something people like (just as long as it's constructive because nasty comments really don't have their place here – I think it's enough not to continue reading if you don't like it).

Oh, one observation: although it's not canon that Luna and Neville end up together, I like that they were a couple in the last movie, so I'll go along with that idea. There won't be an official pairing or anything but there might be some hints there, just so you know.

Last thing: I had to shorten the word "something" in the title of the chapter... and I probably will have to shorten other chapter titles as well because unfortunately there is a restriction on number of characters in the title and I really want to follow the song lyrics... but I'll figure out a way and I'm sure you will all understand it, especially if I explain it in notes ;)

* * *

**Chapter 3 – You're something beautiful, a contradiction**

**(Hermione p.o.v.)**

"Why the heartfelt sigh?" Luna asked Hermione, as they were both in the stands, watching the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.

Hermione looked at the younger Ravenclaw and wondered why she thought she could keep something from her. While Luna appeared distracted and in a completely different world most of the time, she actually had a very keen intuition and great power of observation, and she wasn't afraid to state things bluntly.

"It's nothing really, Luna, just that this school year might prove to be too challenging even for me, and I'm pretty ambitious"

"Are you saying that because you are stressed about the person who keeps sending you gifts?" Luna asked serenely, managing to hit the nail on the head as usual.

Hermione watched as Ron saved yet another penalty and tried to put some order in her thoughts before replying.

"That is a big part of it… he or she – because I can't rule out any possibilities at this point – is a stalker. I think 'secret admirer' as most of our colleagues are calling this person is not the right word for it – you saw some of the inappropriate notes I was sent along with the gifts and I really resent being the talk of the school, especially with the rumors getting wilder by the day."

"Oh, yes", Luna readily agreed, "I noticed how everyone is talking, but that's just because they have nothing better to do, so you shouldn't pay them any attention."

"I know, and I am trying but it's not easy. And besides, this stalker isn't my only problem. The entire wizarding world has a problem with Voldemort and the Death Eaters out there, doing, who knows what evil things… you saw how they checked our luggage when we entered the castle…"

"Well done!" Luna shouted all of a sudden, and Hermione turned her attention back to the try-outs, where Ron had successfully saved all the penalties.

Next in line for the Keeper position was Cormac McLaggen, whom Hermione had caught looking at her quite intensely lately… she had a feeling he might be her stalker, and the thought was unnerving. He was staring at her now so she averted her eyes and looked at Luna, who was waiting for her to continue.

"I also have tons of homework to do - not to mention Harry and Ron keep asking me to help with theirs, and there is also the issue that what with all the other school subjects, none of us continued with Care of Magical Creatures and we haven't spoken to Hagrid about it yet."

"Hagrid's OK", Luna reassured her. "I love magical creatures so I am taking his class, and so is Neville, right?"

Neville, who was sitting next to Luna, was oblivious to what they were discussing, having been completely immersed in the quidditch tryouts.

"I… what?" he asked, and Hermione almost laughed at the comical expression of his face. She would never understand his passion for Quidditch given that he wasn't a great a flyer.

"Luna was saying that you're taking Care of Magical Creatures this year."

"Oh, yes, I am."

Neville seemed confused that Luna knew that – they didn't have the class together due to being in different years, but Luna had a way of finding out things, especially as most people didn't take her seriously so they spoke freely around her.

Hermione let them talk and thought about another one of her worries that she wasn't going to share with Luna. Harry was using that suspicious Half Blood Prince potions book with no intention of giving it up – and it didn't help that Hermione could find nothing about its former owner.

She saw McLaggen was about to save the last penalty after saving all of the ones before, so she quickly cast a nonverbal Confundus… it wasn't very ethical of her, Hermione realized it, and she wasn't proud of doing something like that but she didn't think she could put up with Ron's moping if he didn't get his place on the quidditch team. Plus, McLaggen seemed like he'd make trouble for Harry, so it was all for the best…

"I know this might be an unpopular opinion, I mean, I know Harry is captain this year and Ron just won the keeper position, but I don't really care about quidditch – it's such a useless thing to waste time on. I have plenty of house pride and support Gryffindor team at every game, but this year it just seems like there are so many other important things to take care of" Hermione said, ignoring the shocked looks around her.

However when the tryouts were over, she did congratulate Ron – it was hard not to rejoice with him, he was so excited for being Keeper.

"You were brilliant, Ron", she told him, trying not to smile knowing that she had lent him a helping hand.

She hoped no one would figure out what she did but Hermione had an inkling that Harry was on to her. Not that he'd snitch her to a professor, but she felt even more embarrassed, especially when Ron was so obliviously smug of his prowess, wondering why McLaggen had missed that last shot.

And what if Harry hadn't been the only one to notice? Her spell had been nonverbal, but she still worried.

After the tryouts they went to Hagrid's and Hermione felt immensely relieved when they managed to patch things up, even if it was over the controversial subject of Aragog's impending death.

As they returned to the castle they saw McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors, as he ricocheted off the frame on the first try. Ron laughed and strode off into the Hall after him, but Harry caught Hermione's arm and held her back.

"What?" she asked.

"If you ask me, McLaggen looks like he was Confunded this morning. And he was standing right in front of where you were sitting", Harry said and Hermione knew she'd been caught.

She could feel her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment, so there was no point denying it.

"Oh, all right then, I did it," she said in a low voice, not wanting to be overheard. "But you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, he's got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didn't get in — you wouldn't have wanted someone like that on the team."

"No, I suppose that's true. But wasn't that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, you're a prefect, aren't you?"

"Oh, be quiet," she snapped, ignoring his smirk.

On their way to the Gryffindor table they were intercepted by Professor Slughorn who wanted to invite her and Harry to another one of his parties. It didn't help his cause that McLaggen was coming too, and Harry had a detention with Snape so it looked like Hermione would have to go alone.

"I doubt you'll be alone, Ginny'll probably be invited," snapped Ron, and Hermione couldn't blame him for his dark mood – the professor had been a tad rude not to even acknowledge Ron.

After dinner went up to their common room, and Hermione browsed through the Evening Prophet.

Mr. Weasley was featured in the newspaper, as he had searched the Malfoy's house a second time in search for dark magic objects.

Harry told them he'd been the one to tip-off Mr. Weasley thinking Draco Malfoy might have brought whatever he got from Borgin and Burke's to Hogwarts.

Hermione explained how students had been searched when entering the castle, and that owls were also searched, so the possibility that Malfoy sneaked something in was slim.

Hermione was getting exasperated with him but she didn't get to express it out loud because Ron was there before her.

"Oh, drop it, Harry," said Ron.

"Listen, it's not my fault Slughorn invited Hermione and me to his stupid party, neither of us wanted to go, you know!" said Harry, firing up.

It didn't take long for the boys to get into an altercation – they were all stressed.

"Well, as I'm not invited to any parties," said Ron, getting to his feet again, "I think I'll go to bed."

He left towards the boys' dormitories.

Demelza Robins, a new chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team came to Harry just then with a message from Professor Snape so Hermione left them to it as she hurried towards the library as she wanted to do a bit more reading before it closed.

Madam Pince frowned when she saw Hermione, and warned her not to tary, as the library would close in half an hour.

She had just identified the book she wanted to read and was reaching to take it from the shelf when someone else got to it before her.

"This what you want, Granger?" a voice drawled next to her ear and she turned quickly only to find Draco Malfoy standing so close to her she could

"As a matter of fact, it is", she said calmly, extending her hand in a silent demand for him to give her the book.

She wasn't going to vocally ask for it if she could help it. Hermione was sure Malfoy was up to no good, but she hoped he wouldn't be able to do a lot of mischief in the library of all places.

"Oh, you think I should just give you the book? What if I need it too?"

"Then just say so and I'll read it some other time", Hermione said tersely.

"It's not the book I'm interested in, Granger."

"In that case, what do you want, Malfoy? I don't have time to play games, the library is going to close in thirty minutes and unlike you, I am interested in reading that book."

He leaned casually against the bookshelf, while turning the book in his hand.

Hermione crossed her arms, fuming silently that he was taking his time with the answer when she'd made it clear she was in a hurry.

"Did you ever find out who has been sending you gifts?"

That again! Hermione wondered whether he had nothing better to do with his time than think of such things.

"Is it so incredible for someone to send me gifts?"

"I didn't say that"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious…"

She didn't believe it for a second, but decided not to waste any more time and answer him, perhaps that would determine him to give her the book.

"I don't know who is sending me gifts, but I suspect it's Cormac McLaggen", she said, watching Draco closely for his reaction. Perhaps it was a Slytherin after all, and he knew who it was.

Draco was surprised to say the least – his expression showed shock.

"McLaggen? That prat who tried for Keeper?"

"You were at the tryouts?"

Hermione hadn't seen him, but then she'd had a lot on her mind and hadn't really looked around.

"I was. Why would you think McLaggen is sending you those gifts?"

She sighed, unwilling to explain but knowing it was her only chance to get some reading done before the library closed.

"His family is well off so he could certainly afford these gifts, and also…." she hesitated, imagining the cruel teasing Malfoy could subject her to if she finished her sentence.

"He's been staring at me", she finally concluded.

"He's been _what_?"

Hermione actually flinched at Malfoy's harsh tone, backing up as much as the bookshelf behind her permitted. His gray eyes held a murderous glare and she wondered what his problem was with McLaggen. The boy was annoying by all accounts, but his behaviour couldn't have warranted such intense dislike.

"Staring… you know, gazing intensely and meaningfully in a very unpleasant way", she added in a whisper as Madam Pince had looked in on them when Malfoy had raised his voice with his previous question.

He muttered something but Hermione couldn't catch what he said. She didn't think it was anything nice and she almost called Madam Pince back to tell her she'd changed her mind about reading that evening but the librarian was already nowhere in sight.

"What do you say we end the suspense?" Malfoy said to her, making her look at him instead of searching for her only salvation – there weren't any other students in the library as far as she'd seen when she'd entered the library.

"It wasn't _McLaggen_ sending you those gifts. I sent them to you."

* * *

Hermione had always thought it possible for Malfoy to be her 'stalker' but still, those messages suggested that the author wanted her … in a very physical way too, and Malfoy had never made a secret of the fact that he considered Hermione to have dirty blood… so would he really want to touch her?

The thought made a shiver go all through her.

"You?" she asked, hoping that somehow she had heard him wrong.

"Want me to prove it?" he asked. He took his wand out of his robe and chanted something so silently that Hermione didn't quite catch it, but it sounded like "obfoco".

She instantly felt her choker tightening around her neck and she clasped it urgently, trying to pry it off her neck.

"Neat trick, right?"

"What are you doing?" Hermione gasped, as she struggled with the choker.

"Just showing you what that little piece of jewelry can do. Finite!"

Hermione sucked in air greedily, but she continued to struggle to get the choker off.

"You might as well save your strength – it won't come off, not unless I want it to, and I do not want it to. It's been enchanted that way."

She couldn't believe her ears.

"That's impossible – this is dark magic and the Headmaster as well as Professors McGonagall and Snape have checked the choker and haven't been able to find any traces of danger…"

Malfoy laughed nastily which made her hair stand on end.

"That's because it was a very powerful object from the beginnning, and I've enhanced it with all sort of charms of my own", he boasted. "It cost me a pretty galleon but I consider it an investment that I won't regret making. Want to see what else it can do?"

Hermione didn't get to protest before he chanted "Accersio!"

She flinched, anticipating pain of some sort, but instead she only felt the choker heat up so much so that it warmed her skin. She blinked, confused.

"Don't breathe easily just yet", Malfoy said, observing her relieved expression. "When you'll feel the choker heat up around your neck…" he touched the choker over her skin but she slapped his hand away, she was so mad at the situation she found herself in.

"…you'll know that I'm calling for you."

Hermione gaped at his audacity.

"Malfoy, you're crazy if you think I'll come when you call!"

"You'd be wise to come, because if not, the choker will keep heating up until it will sear your skin off an then your flesh too", he warned darkly.

She was too stunned to say anything – Hermione was sure he wasn't bluffing.

"Of course, I can also choke you to death, but I figured I'd be nice and summon you in a nicer way, especially as I don't want you to give yourself away if I call you when you're with other people."

"Give myself away? You can be sure I'll run to Dumbledore this very instant and he'll make you take this blasted thing off."

He laughed again, though there was no mirth in his laughter.

"You sure didn't seem to think of it as 'blasted' given that you haven't taken it off since you first put it on. Sure, had you tried, you would have discovered that you were unable to, because the choker is also imbued with a compulsion enchantment that makes you not want to take it off."

Hermione was astounded at how thoroughly he had spelled the choker. She still couldn't find her words although a million questions were going through her mind.

"And about going to Dumbledore, you'll find that the compulsion enchantment I was telling you about will also make you unable to tell anyone about the choker."

"That's no enchantment, it's a curse, no less depriving people of their freedom than the Imperius curse. In other words, unforgivable!" she finally said through clenched teeth. She was going to try telling Harry and Ron the first occasion she had – maybe Malfoy was only bluffing after all, though she didn't really dare to hope such a thing.

"Good thing I don't want your forgiveness then", Malfoy replied, and his face actually showed that he couldn't care less.

"I hope you realize that you're at my mercy now, Granger, and I don't have a lot of that, so you'd do well not to provoke me", he added and Hermione could feel her blood boiling with indignation.

"What do you want from me, Malfoy?" she asked boldly, though inside she was terrified of hearing his answer.

"Oh, I want a lot of things…but no reason why we should get into that tonight. I'd rather let you fret over it all night".

Hermione couldn't believe how malicious he was… or rather, she could believe it, but to do something like this… it was a whole different level than what he'd done the previous years. Was it possible Harry had been right all along and Malfoy had become a Death Eater?

She plucked up the courage to ask.

"Did you become a Death Eater over the summer? Because I can't explain how else you could have done something so horrible to me."

"I haven't actually done anything yet, Granger. But here's the answer to your question", he said, raising his left sleeve to reveal skin. And there it was, the dark mark, just like Harry had thought, on his forearm.

She was more afraid of him than ever, of both his statement and his mark. Hermione didn't want to think what he could ask her to do or do to her now that he practically had complete control over her.

He interrupted her gloomy musings by snapping his fingers in front of her, demanding her attention.

"And talking about this summer, it reminds me of our encounter at Madam Malkin, and also of something Borgin told me. Did you really spy on me and try to find out what my business was at his shop?

Hermione lifted her chin defiantly – there was no reason to be caught spying on him, it had clearly been well deserved given that he'd taken the step into the dark side by becoming a Death Eater.

"I can tell by your face that you did. And you had the gall to say you were a _friend_ looking for a birthday present", he said with a sneer.

"You didn't get me any gifts and my birthday has long since passed. And speaking of…Did you keep any of _my_ gifts? Because I was considerate enough to give _you _presents."

"When you sent them wish such unpleasant notes? No, I didn't keep them. I burnt the notes, as for the gifts, I gave them to other students who needed them."

A horrible thought occurred to her.

"Were any of them cursed?! I can't believe I gave them away, putting other people at risk… oh, I should have just thrown them away!" she lamented.

Malfoy certainly didn't seem pleased she'd given away his gifts, but he didn't look surprised either, not that Hermione cared at this point – she had so many other new and horrible things to worry about.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Granger, none of the other gifts were enchanted. Did you also give away the paper lion I sent you this morning?", he asked and Hermione considered lying, but what was the point?

"Actually, no. I didn't have time…" she hedged, though in truth Hermione had considered keeping the origami lion. It was very skillfully done and she'd placed it on the nightstand next to her bed, thinking it was one thing she could keep, given that it hadn't come with a note.

"Good, then don't. That one is enchanted – much like you enchanted those galleons in order to organize your hidden meetings last year, when I call you, the location where you have to go will appear written on the lion."

Hermione couldn't help admiring his proficiency with spells, even the dark ones he'd used on the choker. It was undeniable that he was an extremely talented wizard, but it was so very sad that he used those talents for evil.

She also had to admit he was pretty fair to look at with his blonde hair, silver eyes and the aristocratic features of his face…it was a face more suited to an angel than a devil yet he was devilish, no question about it.

"You're something beautiful… a contradiction…" she whispered, not realizing she'd voiced her thoughts until seeing his expression freeze.

"I'm shocked you'd admit you find me beautiful, Granger, but I already knew that, so don't think that flattering me will get you anywhere…"

He sounded uncertain and Hermione was glad she'd let her thoughts slip, at least that way she's managed to chip away at his extreme self-confidence.

"I'd die before I tried flattering you of all people! Anyone can see that your features are aesthetically pleasing, there's no meaning in denying it, but remember I also said you're a contradiction because despite the nice exterior, you are rotten on the inside!" she spat.

He laughed another of his mirthless laughs that made her take a step back, only this time Malfoy caught her arm to prevent her from getting away.

"Like I said before, I don't seek your forgiveness, and I don't seek your approval either, so your low opinion of me doesn't matter to me… I'm just amused that you, a mudblood, would dare to think low of a pureblood like me."

"Just because you were born in an old wizarding family doesn't mean you're better than other people – in fact, I say you're worse than pretty much everyone in this school. Much worse!"

Hermione flinched when Malfoys's fingers on her arm squeezed painfully – he was sure to leave a mark.

"You might want to shut it, Granger, before you make me do something you will regret. You didn't get me a gift for my birthday despite saying you would, so I chose my own present – you! I own you now, so you might start behaving nicer towards me."

He shoved the book into her arms and released her.

"You may go now, but remember not to make me wait when I call for you – and it will be soon enough."

He left before she could say anything, but Hermione didn't think she could have said something in any case… she felt drained and she slipped to the floor, holding on to the book as if it was a shield of some sort that could save her life.

It was far too late for that, Hermione realized. She could try to oppose Malfoy, but how long could she last before giving in? She was brave, but Malfoy could burn her or choke her or both… and he'd made it so that she couldn't talk to anyone about it… she was all alone with one hell of a predicament.

"Miss Granger, are you quite all right?"

Madam Pince was standing over her and Hermione had no idea for how long the librarian had been there, calling out to her.

"You look as pale and gaunt as the Bloody Baron, my dear, do you want me to take you to the hospital wing? Pomona can give you a tonic or something."

Hermione could barely focus on what the older woman was telling her.

"No, thank you, Madam Pince, that won't be necessary", she managed to say, getting up from the floor on shaky legs.

"I'm just a bit fatigued. I will return to the Gryffindor tower and go straight to bed – some rest will work wonders", she added, trying to assuage the worried look on the librarian's face.

"Well, all right then, if you're sure."

Hermione exited the library as if in a trance… she walked towards the grand staircase and was glad that something in her face must have made people not approach her, because she was incapable of conversation at the moment. She never would have thought it could be a positive thing to be compared to the Bloody Baron but apparently the resemblance was so strong that even fellow Gryffindors gave her wide berth as she went through the Common Room up to the girls' dormitory.

She would probably have some explaining in the morning as her friends had cast worried glances her way… Hermione was sure she could find a reasonable explanation by then.

At the moment all she wanted to do was to sink into the oblivion of sleep – that was, if Malfoy wouldn't torment her in her dreams too…


	4. I wanna play a game, I want the friction

**A/N:** I really tried posting this chapter sooner, but it was not quite finished when the time came for my weeks off from work and I've been travelling and therefore there wasn't a lot of time for writing.

I want to mention one thing that hopefully is not a big spoiler, but which I think should be pointed out at this junction in the story. Regardless of the dark theme of this story, I believe good always triumphs over evil and if it's one thing I care about in a story is a happy ending. So the story will end well, one way or the other, you may count on that. There will be an indication of it in this chapter through a prophecy… so test your Divination skills at interpreting it ;)

That being said, read, enjoy, review!

* * *

**Chapter 4 – I want to play the game, I want the friction**

**(Draco p.o.v.)**

Draco had a spring in his step as he went down the stairs towards the Slytherin Common Room.

He had just left Granger in the library and revealing to her that he had control over her through the choker had been so rewarding… he'd gotten a heck of a hard on over it, and while it wasn't exactly pleasant to walk so briskly with it, he couldn't help it.

His theory that Granger would be able to make him _feel_ had just been confirmed. In his bleak, black and white world, she was like an explosion of colour.

In truth, while Draco did like having power over the bossy Hermione Granger, he would have preferred to have her company without the constraint of the choker… he just didn't see how that could be possible given their history.

Maybe he could somehow change that at some point but for now, he liked the way things were. Having Voldemort force him into becoming a Death Eater and threatening his life as well as his parents' was something that had affected him deeply and in order to not let that darkness consume him, Draco had to expel it somehow. And he was determined to expel it through Granger… he just hoped she was strong enough to take it… he had to believe she was.

"There he is, the most mysterious sixth year Slytherin", Blaise said instead of a greeting as Draco entered the Common Room.

He was lounging on an armchair by the fireplace, Pansy sitting perilously on the armrest of the same piece of furniture.

Pansy had a somewhat guilty look on her face, and Draco wondered in passing whether she was 'moving on' by making a pass at Blaise. Tough luck if that was her idea – Blaise was very pretentious in the looks department and Pansy didn't get a passing grade. Draco hadn't minded her looks – he was more interested in her adoration and willingness to do anything, anytime.

"Where have you been, Draco?" she asked in a whining voice that grated on his eardrums.

"I think the more relevant question is with whom? Just look at that smirk on his face, I wonder who's responsible", Theo piped in, but Draco just smiled and didn't say anything as he headed toward the boys' dormitory.

"Fine, keep your secrets!" he heard Theo shout after him.

Draco knew he would have to give his friends an explanation soon, otherwise they might get too curious and try to find answers on their own… which could interfere with his plans. Slytherins were cunning that way, so there was a real risk his friends would find out about Granger, which was the last thing he wanted.

It would be easy to distract them though. All he had to do was to tell them he'd become a Death Eater and that he was acting on orders from Voldemort… that would shut them up. Draco trusted them enough not to spill the beans about his Dark Mark. Even Pansy wouldn't be so petty as to tell on him just because he dumped her, especially as they had never officially been an item.

But tomorrow morning would be soon enough to deal with his friends. Tonight he wanted to remember his encounter with Granger and savour it.

In case she planned to make trouble for him, he had something else on her that would be incentive for good behaviour: Draco was sure that during the Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs Granger had confounded McLaggen so that her precious Weaselbee would get the keeper position. It had been a nonverbal spell but Draco was sure of it. He was a good enough quidditch player to be able to tell McLaggen couldn't have flown in the opposite direction of the quaffle at that last penalty unless someone meddled with him.

That night, Draco had dark but intense dreams about exercising his power over Granger and in the morning he had to take a cold shower if he was going to face his friends and explain things.

And just as he expected, no one gave him any more grief about his secrecy once he explained his situation – they were all awed that he was in fact a Death Eater, working for the Dark Lord himself.

They went to the Great Hall together for breakfast, and for once Draco hadn't sent any gift to Granger. Now that she knew about him, there was no point in drawing unnecessary attention.

He did look at her though – she had dark circles under her eyes and wasn't looking up from her plate. She wasn't eating either though, just pushing the food around with her fork.

Draco was sure she was thinking about him and when he might call her and for what reason. He was pleased about it – if he was the only thing on her mind it would be perfect, maybe that way she'd get a taste of what he'd been going through for such a long time.

However, just as he was preparing to get up from the table, he had the surprise of his life… a school owl came to him with a message from the Headmaster himself.

Draco looked around wondering if it was possible that one of his friends had betrayed him after all and Dumbledore was going to inform him he'd be expelled from Hogwarts and sent to Azkaban.

But no, his friends wouldn't do that to him…

"I was called to the Headmaster's office, so I am heading there now. See you in class", Draco told his fellow Slytherins.

Once he got to the gargoyle he gave the password specified in Dumbledore's note ("pink coconut ice"), then braced himself for whatever the headmaster had to tell him. He knocked and entered when he was invited in, but he hesitated before advancing into the headmaster's office… he'd never been there before and he took in the fascinating surroundings.

"Step closer, Draco."

Draco would have stayed there, admiring the portraits and all of the other unidentified objects, for hours on end, but that's wasn't an option. He wanted to get the meeting done as soon as possible so he could set his mind at ease about it.

His father hated Dumbledore, but it was probably less of a personal feeling than the fact that Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore (although no one was allowed to acknowledge that fact) and therefore it was law that all Death Eaters must hate him – the official reason for that hate being that Dumbledore was trying to interfere with the Dark Lord's plans.

Draco didn't particularly dislike the headmaster, he even admired the powerful wizard up to a point – because if there was one thing he couldn't stand about Dumbledore it was his obvious preference for Potter.

"I hope you don't mind my calling you Draco, but to me your father is Mr. Malfoy – and he did tend to visit Hogwarts often especially when he was a governor of the school. How is your father dealing with Azkaban?" the headmaster asked, with what Draco thought was real concern.

Draco was reluctant to talk about his father… since his imprisonment, Lucius Malfoy hadn't fared very well, but then who would? Azkaban was a horrible place, Draco had visited his father there and he didn't know if he could bring himself to go a second time.

Good thing that Voldemort intended to get his followers out of there…eventually. For now, they were supposed to remain there as punishment for failing to get the prophecy the Dark Lord wanted so much.

Part of his wanting to direct his darkness onto Hermione was that she too was responsible for his father being in prison. She had been part of Potter's group when the battle of the Department of Mysteries took place – the fateful moment when his father had lost it all due to losing the Dark Lord's favour.

"He's as well as can be expected, sir", Draco finally answered. _Or as _bad_ as can be expected_, he thought bitterly.

"Draco, I hope you know that just because your father has chosen a certain path in life doesn't mean that you have to follow in his footsteps."

Draco didn't know if he was supposed to say something in return but the headmaster was looking at him intensely over his half-moon spectacles.

He didn't feel like talking about something so private with Dumbledore, even if Draco indeed had no intention of making the same wrong choices his father had. He just had to figure out a way to get himself and his parents away from Voldemort somehow.

"Madam Pince commented this morning at breakfast that she saw you and Miss Granger in the library last evening…"

Draco didn't say anything despite the headmaster's trailing off that indicated he wanted confirmation.

"And that after you left", Dumbledore continued, "Miss Granger seemed unwell."

Again, Draco kept his mouth shut. It was the wisest thing to do at the moment. How much had Dumbledore figured out? The old wizard was annoyingly perceptive.

"At the beginning of the term, Miss Granger brought me a piece of jewellery to check for dark magic. While I couldn't positively identify anything on that lovely choker, I did feel that it had known magic… I can only imagine it has been so cleverly concealed that it can't be traced."

Draco tried his best not to let his face show any emotion, lest he betrayed himself. But he was dying of curiosity as to why the headmaster had let Granger put on the choker if he knew it had been tampered with through magic.

As if he could read his mind – and maybe Dumbledore could if he were a proficient enough Legilimens to break through Draco's Occlumency skills – the headmaster told him the information he wanted to know.

"As it happens, over the summer Professor Trelawney made a prophecy…quite the rare event, since it only happens when something significant is about to occur, and I was fortunate to be next to her when it happened so I could hear every word."

Now Draco's interest was piqued. What was the prophecy about? Certainly about the choker somehow, otherwise why would the headmaster be telling him that?

"I'd rather not tell you the prophecy word for word as I believe these things have a self-fulfilling nature which is rather against the concept of free will that I happen to value. Suffice it to say that the prophecy convinced me that it's in everyone's best interest if I let you go on with whatever plans you have with Miss Granger."

Draco was flabbergasted and more curious than ever as to what the prophecy said.

"However", Dumbledore said pointedly, his voice harsher than Draco had ever heard it, "as headmaster I can't allow you to cause real harm to a student. So I will trust that whatever you have in mind, you will keep it within… reasonable limits."

Draco hoped that the headmaster's faith in him would not be betrayed, because there was darkness in him, and he didn't know how powerful it was. But Dumbledore's words about trust had made him feel better.

"Well, this felt much like when I talk to myself but I am sure my message got through", Dumbledore concluded. "If there isn't anything else you wish to tell me, you may go now. Professor Snape will be expecting you in Defence against the Dark Arts class".

When Draco didn't say anything, the headmaster continued.

"See yourself out, please, Draco. I have to go see to Fawkes, it's his Burning Day and I want to watch as he rises from his ashes. For me it is one of the greatest proofs of hope rekindled".

As he sat up from his desk, the headmaster bumped into something on his desk that was hidden from Draco's sight behind a stack of books. As Dumbledore steadied himself and then went up the winding staircase, Draco craned his neck to see what it was and to his surprise it was a pensieve.

The headmaster was already nowhere in sight…so while Draco knew it was a risk, the pensieve was right there and it was sure to contain the prophecy Dumbledore had heard.

He couldn't resist. Draco went around the large desk and leaned down, touching the clear substance inside the pensieve. And then he was falling…

* * *

When he stopped falling, Draco was on the grounds at Hogwarts, not far from that oaf's hovel, Hagrid, the so called game keeper and _professor_ of Care of Magical Creatures. Draco was glad he didn't have to take that class anymore.

Someone was moving on the path towards the castle and as he moved closer, he saw that it was the headmaster himself, greeting the Divination professor – yet another silly professor and even sillier subject.

'_Professor, how pleasant to see you out of the tower when it's not a mealtime. What made you go out for a walk?'_

'_Oh, Headmaster, I just fell a pull towards the outdoors and I had to follow and see where it would lead'._

'_But of course…', _Dumbledore asked, smiling indulgently_. 'As it happens, I don't often walk the grounds either, I prefer the seclusion of my office, but you could say something pulled at me to go out as well. It is, after all, such a beautiful summer day."_

"_You've been to visit Rubeus?" _

Trelawney said it in a way that sounded more like a statement than a question.

'_Why, yes, professor. Did the Sight tell you that?'_

Draco had the distinct impression that the headmaster was teasing his Divination professor, but if so, she didn't notice.

'_Of course, it was the Inner Eye. I also think I have something I need to tell you, but whatever it is eludes me at the moment.'_

'_Ah, the whimsical nature of this gift of Sight… Then by all means, let's walk to the castle together, perhaps you will see more clearly by the time we get there.'_

Draco followed them and listened with increased annoyance as they made small talk. But then suddenly, Trelawney grasped Dumbledore's forearm, her expression frozen in place, her eyes vacant and her gaze distant.

She drew several raspy breaths, before finally talking in a monotonous and grave voice_: 'Soon the one who will turn the tide of the final battle shall turn on his peers and join the righteous. Through she who would stand hardship and constraints to save a lost soul will he join the light and make things right.'_

Then she suddenly coughed and shook her head and then looked inquiringly at Dumbledore.

"_What was I saying_?"

"_Just that this year Hagrid's outdone himself with the vegetable patches_", the headmaster said smoothly.

"_Oh yes, he certainly…_"

Draco didn't hear the rest as he was suddenly pulled out of the memory.

He noticed the headmaster had not returned yet, so he quickly left the office, wondering whether all that 'self-fulfilling prophecies are against free will' rubbish hadn't actually been a clever way of making him so curious he would go for the pensieve which had been conveniently left in an accessible place… Dumbledore might have been a Gryffindor in his time, but he probably would have fared well in Slytherin too, he certainly was cunning enough.

Not to mention, he didn't seem exceedingly concerned about the means to an end: he'd basically conveyed to Draco that he could do what he wanted with Granger if that would eventually make him switch sides and help fight against Voldemort.

Well, all right, the headmaster had warned him not to cause Granger real harm, but still, wasn't that a very lax way to treat such serious things?

As he hurried up the grand staircase to get to the Defence against the Dark Arts class that had probably already started, Draco wondered why Dumbledore had connected the choker, Granger and himself to the prophecy.

It was clear the headmaster thought the prophecy referred to him and Granger, but how had he figured out that the 'constraints' and hardships were connected to the power the choker gave Draco over Granger, and the nefarious ways in which he planned to use it?

Draco wasn't convinced that it _was _the choker the prophecy was referring to, but then everything else fit well with that theory.

Not much got past the headmaster, that much was clear.

He felt decidedly unsettled after the meeting and with what he'd found out from the pensieve. If he were being honest, Draco himself didn't really know what his intentions with Granger were. All he knew is that he wanted to exchange his darkness for her light, his colourless world for her coloured one.

Maybe in the process he would find his way to the 'right' side as the prophecy suggested, but at the moment Draco didn't see how it could come to be.

He felt somewhat guilty about trying to fix the vanishing cabinet so that the Death Eaters could get into the castle. It wasn't right that Dumbledore had tried to help him and Draco was instead trying to find ways to get him killed, but too much was at stake – his and his parents' lives – and he couldn't back out.

He decided that he'd leave Granger alone for now, so that she could build up anxiety about when he was actually going to call her. That way, she might be more amenable when the time came.

* * *

A couple of weeks passed without him using the power of the choker and Draco saw Granger's restlessness increasing each day. He had other things to worry about though: he'd been caught up in the conundrum of fixing the vanishing cabinet.

Draco had made some progress, because the cabinet was finally communicating with the other one at Borgin and Burke's but nothing living seemed to be able to pass through…not while remaining alive, at least, and Draco was sure the Dark Lord wouldn't be happy if he got his most powerful Death Eaters killed.

His frustration was getting the better of him. He wasn't snapping only at Gryffindors or first years, lately he was snapping at fellow Slytherins too and a couple of times he'd taken a not so polite tone with the professors too, and a detention was the last thing he needed.

So he decided it was time to set up a meeting with Granger and get some of that frustration out of his system and at the same time perhaps obtain some information he could pass on to Voldemort.

It was a weekend, so there wasn't the risk of them missing any class, and he could take his sweet time with her.

Draco was still in his bed so all he had to do was reach out a hand to the nightstand next to his bed and pick up the paper snake he had enchanted to communicate with the paper lion he'd given her. The two objects, although made of paper, were enchanted so that they wouldn't get creased, no matter how they were folded or pressed.

And they were true masterpieces: the snake was emerald green with a silver belly, while the lion had a scarlet mane while the rest of it was golden. However, depending on the light, the shades would change beautifully and the black eyes of both the snake and the lion would glitter darkly like obsidian.

Draco spent a couple of minutes admiring the snake as it changed shades in the morning sun – and it was surprising that there was a sun so early in the day, usually it was cloudy, but Draco had woken up later than usual seeing as it was Saturday – and then used his wand to inscribe a time and place for his meeting with Granger: _Eleven AM, The Shrieking Shack. _

He couldn't have chosen a more secluded place, and he knew Granger could get there either from Hogsmeade (there was a school trip planned for ten AM) or from the underground passage underneath the Whomping Willow – Snape had told him that Granger was well aware of that tunnel ever since their third year.

"Is that a present for me, Draco?" Pansy suddenly purred, materializing as if from thin air next to his bed, and plopping down on it, without waiting for an invitation.

She reached for the paper snake, but Draco quickly moved it to his other hand, keeping it away from her so that Pansy couldn't reach it.

"Most certainly not. And what are you doing in the Boys' Dormitory?"

He threw the covers off him and got out of bed quickly, before she got any ideas of joining him there.

"Like I've never been here before", she said petulantly. "In fact, I've been in this particular bed more times than I can count if you'd care to remember."

Draco smirked at that: he was sure he'd never had Pansy there for more than a dozen times, but she wasn't the brightest of people, so no wonder she couldn't count to twelve…

But more likely she was simply exaggerating. What would it take for her to finally get it in her head that he simply was not interested anymore?

"While it is Saturday, Pansy, I am sure you can find something better to do than waste your time where you're not wanted", he said sourly as he turned from her and started taking off his pyjama top, anxious to get dressed and out to breakfast where Pansy would have no choice but to behave – even she didn't dare be too bold with the professors present.

"Are you sure I'm not wanted?" she said in what she probably thought was a seductive voice, as her hands went around him, touching his chest, her sharp nails just shy of marking his skin.

He deftly pried her hands away and headed towards the showers.

"Quite sure", he replied calmly while shutting the door in her face. He heard her screaming through it '_You may not welcome me here but that doesn't mean others feel the same way!_'

As water poured over him, Draco smiled, knowing that if anything, all the other boys will be cross with her for shouting in their dorm so early on a Saturday.

When he entered the Great Hall, he was pleased to see Granger was staring at him. So she'd gotten the message. Good.

He directed a smug smile her way, then proceeded to ignoring her for the rest of the meal. He lingered in the hall with his friends, making small talk, even if his mind wasn't on it. He had to keep up appearances.

Once it was close to ten o'clock, he told his friends he won't be going to Hogsmeade but will see them off. His true interest was, of course, to see if Granger was going. She wasn't, although Potter and the Weasel were. She'd come to see her own friends off.

Afterwards she headed to the library and Draco followed, covertly. He wasn't in the mood to study but he did look around to see if he could find any new reading material about the Vanishing Cabinet or about ways of fixing broken magical objects.

He didn't find out anything useful and after half an hour he gave up. He quietly took his wand out and whispered '_Accersio_' and watched as Granger's hand flew to the choker, her eyes looking wildly around, searching for him.

Draco allowed himself to be seen and he gave her a mocking salute by lifting two fingers to his brow and then slightly bowing in her direction.

He quickly headed to the Whomping Willow, immobilized it so he could get in and then waited patiently for Granger to join him.

He checked his watch impatiently, and wondered what she could possibly doing that was keeping her away, when it was already eleven sharp. Did she _want_ to get burnt?

It was seven minutes past the hour when she finally arrived.

"Feeling hot under the collar, Granger?" he asked as he watched the flushed skin of her neck.

"Not anymore", she said and then quickly chanted 'Petrificus totalus!' and Draco immediately fell to the floor, unable to move or to speak.

His eyes, however, were staring daggers her way. The nerve of her to put the full body bind curse on him!

"There… let's see how YOU like it when you're deprived of your freedom", she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

She took his wand and then continued "I'd like to see you try to use the choker against me when you can't move a muscle nor utter one word."

Draco didn't let his anger consume him. After all, she wouldn't be Granger if she went down without a fight. He knew the curse wouldn't last for long and then he'd have to be quick about recovering his wand and disarming Granger of hers, so that this unfortunate situation wouldn't occur again.

He'd also make sure he relieved her of her wand first thing on their next meeting.

"Now what?" he heard her mutter to herself. "I hadn't thought that far…"

It was obvious she hadn't thought things through and she started circling around him.

Draco wasn't pleased to be immobilized on what was probably dirty ground, but a cleaning spell would take care of that.

"I can't really keep him here forever…" Granger was muttering to herself, clearly at a loss. "Someone's bound to look for him _eventually…_"

She suddenly stopped to look down at him.

"I could just hex and jinx you every time you call for me, you do realize that?" she asked but then realized he couldn't answer and resumed her circling.

"And I know you can retaliate by choking the life out of me, but I rather think you wouldn't go as far as to kill me… I realize you could hurt me, but it'll be worth it as long as I can just escape these 'meetings' where I'd technically be at your mercy – or lack thereof, as you pointed out yourself last time we talked."

Draco let her talk on, listening to what she was saying but at the same time trying to move his arms and legs, testing when the full body bind curse would weaken, and soon enough he could move his fingers and toes.

Granger was still talking, to herself this time, her voice too quiet for him to understand what she was saying.

It was enough though that she was so caught up in her thoughts as she circled around him that she didn't see that he moved his right leg just enough to trip her, and then he jumped up, taking both wands from her hands which she had been using to avoid falling face first onto the ground.

She looked positively aghast at having been caught by surprise.

"No more spells out of you, Granger", Draco said with a nasty grin, his wand pointed straight at her chest as she lay on her back on the ground, her upper body slightly raised on her elbows.

He cast Tergeo to make himself presentable once more.

"And now that I've recovered the ability to speak – and you seem to have lost yours for a change – let me tell you why you can't jinx or hex me. I won't make the mistake of being caught unprepared a second time. From now on, I will disarm you first, and everything else I have in mind will come when you're safely without a wand."

"What makes you think _I_ won't be prepared next time, when you've so clearly stated your intention of disarming me?" she parried, as she stood up and brushed the dust off her Gryffindor uniform.

"Because, just like you pointed out, while I won't outright kill you, I can still inflict severe damage with that beautiful choker, so unless you like pain and want your skin forever marred, I suggest you willingly hand me your wand the next time we meet."

"But what's the point of these meetings? Is it a game to you? Do you really want to increase this friction that's been between us ever since our first year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I want to play the game, I want the friction. And you're helpless to stop it, I hope you realize it."

Draco knew he was being unreasonable, irrational even, but that's how she made him feel, and luckily he didn't have to explain his reasons. That was one of the many advantages of having the upper hand.

Granger was thinking hard, trying to find a way around what probably sounded like pure madness. She had a frustrated look about her and then she started biting her lower lip, which Draco suddenly felt the need to do as well.

He quickly reached for her and drew her body flush against his, then took advantage of her surprise, which had made her part her lips to bite down on the lower one.

Draco didn't give her time to protest, he then simply covered her lips with his as his tongue plunged deeply into her mouth, tasting her for the first time.


End file.
